Open Letter to Riksdag & Anders Borg, regarding implementation of USA #FATCA law in Sweden

I write to you today asking a simple question: Do all Swedish Citizens have the same rights under Sweden’s laws and our Grundlag?

The government is quietly negotiating a new tax information sharing agreement with the United States that we fear will remove those rights from Swedes whom the U.S. wants to claim as their own.

How can you sign away Swedish Citizens living in Sweden to the fate of another country’s laws?

There are at least 40,000 people in this group, with another 40,000 family members who will be affected by any agreement with the U.S. that compromises their rights.

We are law-abiding, responsible, tax-paying Swedish citizens and residents, many of us here for decades or our entire lives. We live from North, South, East, and west. We have studied, worked, retired, earned an income, owned homes, raised Swedish-born families, volunteered, voted, participated in our communities, donated to Swedish charities, saved, invested, planned for our children’s education, their and our own disabilities and our retirement and diligently paid our federal, provincial and municipal taxes.

Sweden is not a tax haven. There is absolutely not a signal person in the Universe who would move to Sweden or invest in Sweden in order to avoid taxation. The thought is ludicrous.

But now we are suffering as a foreign government tries to hunt us down to give us our financial penalties. There have been many sleepless nights. Marriages have been strained. Health and careers have been affected. Some have even contemplated suicide.

As you are fully aware, the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) demands Swedish banks, credit unions and other financial institutions provide information to U.S. Internal Revenue Service – either directly or through the Canadian government – on our accounts with them.

This is a nightmare for us, and it should be for your government. Those accounts are often held with Swedish-born spouses and children. Those assets were earned, saved, invested and taxed entirely in Sweden. Income was reported to Skatteverket and taxes paid.

If we refuse to provide consent for transmission of our information to a foreign government, USA via FATCA expects our Swedish banks to declare us “recalcitrant” and close our accounts.

FATCA violates Swedish banking, privacy and human rights laws and Svenska grundlaget. Yet, under foreign threats and Swedish willingness for reciprocity that will never come, Swedish banks and financial institutions may violate those rights – possibly with help from your government through the imposition of an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA).

Your officials are negotiating in secret with American officials for a “solution both countries will find agreeable.” There should be no negotiating fundamental svenska grundlaget. It should be clear. Swedish laws and grundlaget protect all Swedish citizens and residents.

Anything less makes us second class Swedes and surrenders Sweden’s sovereignty to a foreign power.

So, again, the question is simple. Do Swedish citizens and residents born in United States or with some bizarre past U.S. connection have the same rights as all other Swedes?

We implore you to answer now. This nightmare has dragged on too long.

notes

Please forgive my Swedish writing skills. Many of us are immigrants to Sweden and new citizens. We don’t understand the difference between citizens with full rights and citizens with partial rights.

Readers should know that Sweden is preparing to jump off the same bridge, simply because other leaders from other countries are jumping off the bridge. Sweden and every other country in the Galaxy are also caving in the USA.

Some, like Sweden are welcoming USA FATCA law implementation in Sweden. Simply google “FATCA” and you will find the major USA compliance firms working to charge enormous sums to Swedish banks to implement US law in the Swedish banks. Scotiabank, a multinational similar to Nordea, Handelsbanken or DBS, has stated its FATCA implementation cost to be $100 million. Or, search “FATCA” on the riksdagen site and you will get about 18 hits, all describing how Sweden welcomes the US FATCA law for Sweden.

Here on l’asteroide B612, we are also forced to implement FATCA at Banc Centrale.

But now we are suffering as a foreign government tries to financially terrorize us. There have been many sleepless nights. Marriages have been strained. Health and careers have been affected. Some have even contemplated suicide.